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Baseline fitness standard for adults

guest — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:58:26 GMT

Thanks Ray,

I found the article online that Mens Health did where they have tests men can do. It's not based on age, height or weight which I find a little unfair. But I think the numbers are pretty accurate.

The first test is a 1 mile run around a track. I believe the presidents test uses a 1.5 mile run, which I believe is the same standard used by the Air Force and Navy. They consider a 10 minute mile or slower unfit, 7-8 minutes is average, 7 minutes fit, and MH fit (Mens Health Fit) anything under 6 minutes.

Second is chinups. They consider 0-3 reps out of shape. 4-7 average, 8 average and anything more than 9 in MH fit.

Third is pushups. less than 20 is unfit, 20-34 is average, 35-49 is fit and 50+ MH fit

Fourth is the verticle jump test. Less that 16 inches is unfit, 16-18 is average, 19-24 is fit, 25+ is MH fit

Baseline fitness standard for adults

guest — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:33:05 GMT

So last night on the Biggest Loser and again this morning on the Today show, they made reference to a baseline fitness level test for children based on their age. It used things like the mile run, number of situps/pushups in a minute and some flexibility tests to access how fit/unfit a child was. I was curious if there was a similar baseline for adults. Mens Health did something like this a few years back, and the numbers seemed a bit unrealistic. Or maybe I was just really out of shape back then hehe. So Im curious if there is any sort of standard that says a 40 year old adult male should be able to run a mile in under a certain time. And do a certain number of pushups in a minute.

Training Pace Confusion

guest — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:04:26 GMT

Just a quick update. I started training for my half marathon using the Jeff Gaudette sub 2:30 half marathon plan. I noticed that he outlines 3 speeds to use during training.

Slow which is to be run between a pace of 12:10 to 12:30

Steady which is to be run between a pace of 11:20 to 11:40

Fast which is to be run at a pace between 11:00 and 11:20

These seem kind of slow to me, but I realized that in order to build up an endurance base, I can't expect to run 10 miles and maintain the same pace I do when I run a 5k. So I have been dialing things back and taking my runs much slower, which has helped to keep my heartrate in check.

Nutrition during half marathon training

guest — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:16:02 GMT

Thank you. That is all very sound advice.

Nutrition during half marathon training

guest — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:43:15 GMT

I signed up to do the R&R half in Washington DC on March 16th. I'm using the RunKeeper Sub 2:30 half marathon training plan. Right now, I am only in week 2, so my weekly miles are only around 12-15 miles. But looking ahead, I see that over the next few weeks, my miles will steadily increase to a point where I will be logginhg 100+ miles in a month. Up to this point, I have mainly run shorter distance (6 miles and less), so I never had to worry much about hydrating and fueling myself. My concern is that if I neglect my nutrition, that my body will shut down on me once I start logging a lot of weekly miles. I don't want to burn out before the race (although there is a taper built into my plan). So before I head out for an 8, 10, 12+ mile run, what should I be eating? Ive read some people like gels, some people like energy bars, others likle a slice of bread with peanut butter and a banana. Is it a matter of preference? Or is there a benefit to one over the others? And as far as after my runs, what should I be doing? Should I drink a protein shake? Eat a light meal? As far as hydrating, I tend to drink a lot an hour or so before I run. When I've run 8 miles before, I ran it without drinking anything during the actual run. Is there a rule of thumb that says for every mile I should be drinking x number of ounces of liquid?

Any guidance/suggestions are much appreciated.

Training Pace Confusion

guest — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 03:58:14 GMT

Thank you both. Your information was very helpful. I have a relatively high resting heartrate (75bpm) when Im just sitting on the couch. Maybe a bit lower in the morning when I first wake up. Seems like as soon as I start running, my HR jumps to 150BPM within the first minute or two, and up to around 170 in the first 5 minutes. I guess I need to either dial things back and srart out slower, or just get more comfortable running at those higher heartrates for short distances.

Training Pace Confusion

guest — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 14:45:31 GMT

I'm a 39 year old male. I completed C25k in the summer of 2011, and have since run in a few 5k's and 10k's. I signed up to do the Rock n Roll 1/2 marathon in March of 2013. I want to do the Hal Higdon training plan. I was reading Hal's recommendations and he suggested doing the slow runs to build endurance at about 65-75% of maximum heart rate. When I plug my age and target heart rate into the Actice.com target heart rate calculator, it says for me 65% is 117 BPM and 75% is 135. BPM. I seem to have a naturally faster heart rate. When I run, I can get up to the 130 range inside of the first 2 minutes. I usually hover between 150-170 when I run shorter distances (3-4 miles). So I'm confused as to what I should do about this. I'm not sure if I am pushing myself too hard during each run if my average HR is around 160. My pace per mile seems kind of slow, I average around 10:00 miles. So I don't think I am being overly tough on my myself.

So I'm at a bit of a loss here. Do I run and as soon as my hr hits around 130-135 slow down and walk? That just seems so low. I feel like I would be stopping to walk every few minutes. And I feel like it would slow my overall pace way down if I had to keep walking. So does anyone have any suggestions on how I should go about training for my 1st half? I don't want to burn myself out, but I also don't want to pamper myself too much.

How to break my repeated minutes at 5K???

guest — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 13:41:30 GMT

Im trying to do the same thing. I ran my first 5K last fall and I finished under 30 minutes, which I was thrilled about. I ran a 2nd 5k on New Years and my time was actually slower, but the course was very hilly and a mix of trail and road. I started looking into how to get faster, and there is no one way to do this. It seems like the best approach is mixing your runs up. I try to run 4 days a week. 1 day (usually on the weekend), is my long run. Believe it or not, building a strong base, and being able to run further, will eventually lead to you running short distances faster. 2 days I do a 5k run at a nice easy pace. If you run aggresively and try to give 110% every time you run, your body will break down and you will run slower over time. These 5k runs should be done at a nice easy pace. Just get the miles "under your belt", and don't worry about how fast you can run them. The 4th day, do some speed work. I've been doing 6 X 400 meter repeats. So I do a nice 1/2 mile or so warmup at an easy pace. Then I do my first 400 meter interval. Don't go all out, but run it faster than you run now. If your goal is to run a 5k in 25 minutes, that is roughly an 8 minute mile. So try running those 400 meter intervals at that pace. It will get your body used to the idea of running harder, but for a short period of time. Once you hit 400 meters (1/4 mile), slow down and run another 400 meters at an easy pace. I try not to walk, but sometimes by the 4th or 5th interval I need to walk to catch my breath and get my heartrate down. Repeat this 5 more times, and then cool down with a 1/2 mile to mile run at an easy pace. Once you find that the 6 X 400 is getting easy, you can either increase the number of intervals you do (8 X 400, 10 X 400 etc), or you can increase the distance of the interval (4 X 800, 6 X 800) etc. As you build more endurance, keeping increasing to 1200 meter repeats and even mile repeats. Also, slowly build up the distance of your long runs. The first few weeks, try a 4 or 5 mile long run. Then 6 miles for a few weeks, then 7, then 8. Once you are able to run for over an hour at an easy pace, running moderately hard for 5k distance will seem easier.

One last thing. Something I have trouble with is going out to strong. I do my first mile in 8:30, and then I am so gassed by mile 3, that I slow down to a 10 minute per mile pace. Try doing reverse splits. Run your first mile nice and easy. Start out at an easy pace of 11:00 per mile or whatever is easy for you. Then speed up a little in the 2nd mile. Nothing too crazy, somewhere around 15-30 seconds faster than your first mile, and do the same for the last mile. This does two things. It helps you conserve your energy, and it teaches you to finish strong. You'll be able to sprint to the finish line because you have fuel left in the tank.

Don't expect miracles. People than can run 25 minute 5k's have likely been running for a while. A 25 minute 5k sounds rather aggresive. Maybe focus on getting under 30 minutes first, and chip away slowly till you reach your goal.

Good luck!

Chocolate Milk?

guest — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 17:28:20 GMT

Yeah, I was wondering about that too. I think the general "rule of thumb" is 1 quart of liquid for every 30 mins of running. But Im not sure how that equates to chocolate milk.

Chocolate Milk?

guest — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:07:55 GMT

Thanks for all the cool info. I find this subject very interesting. I feel like I don't really have any post run/workout recovery process. I generally just drink a Powerade Zero or water. Maybe that is why I feel so drained some days and it takes me days before I feel like I am fully recovered. I focus on hydrating myself before I run, but have never done any post run ritual. I guess I cam give some low fat chocolate milk a try.